Combined cash drawer and recorder



(No Model.)

W. F. BROWN. COMBINED CASH DRAWER AND RECORDER. -No. 458,384. PatentedAug. 25,1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEQ \VILLARD F. BRO\VN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

COMBINED CASH DRAWER AND RECORDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,384, dated August25, 1891.

Application filed May 19, 1890- Serial No. 352,273. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. BROWN, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovementsin a Combined Cash Drawer and Recorder; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved construction incombined cash drawers and recorders.

The nature of the invention will be understood from thefollowingspecification and the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of theapparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the lid removed. Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to that shown in Fig. 2, but with the drawer partly open. Fig. 4is a vertical section from front to rear on the line it of Fig. 2; andFig. 5 is a section 011 the line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

A represents a box, of which A is the lid, adapted to be closed andlocked.

B is a drawer arranged within the box or casing A, at one side thereof,and C is a tape or strip carrying mechanism arranged in the casing A atone side of the drawer.

As here shown, the case A is divided into compartments separating thedrawer or cashdepartment from the recording devices by a partition a.The drawer B is provided with any suitable form of lock or catch 1), andpreferably a spring of some form, as illustrated at B, is placed behindthe drawer within the case for the purpose of throwing the drawer openwhen its catch is released.

The recording mechanism consists of two spools C and C carrying a tape 0which maybe rolled from one spool to the other, said tape beingconducted between the spools over a support 0, which sustains anintermediate part of the tape near to the inner surface of the lid A,through which is cut an opening a over the tape-support c, and throughwhich a salesman may record upon the tape the amount of asale. There isnothing claimed to be new in the employment of a tape carried andsustained by spools and an intermediate support and exposed through anopening in the lid, as above described; but the novel y of my inventionresides in the mechanisms by which the recorder or tapecarrying devicesmay be operated.

For the purpose of advancing the tape the take-up spool C of thetape-carrying mechanism is provided with a ratchet c, with which engagesan actuating-pawl, here shown in the form of a pawlarm 0 which vibrateson the axis or shaft of the take-up spool C, as illustrated in Fig. at.This pawl-arm 0 may be in the form of an elastic or spring metal plate,as indicated in said Fig. l, to enable it to successively engage andpass over the teeth of the ratchet c.

To the free end of the pawl-arm c is attached a spring 0 one end ofwhich is fixed,

and to said free end of the arm c is also secured a projection or pin0*, which projects into the path of the drawer B, asindicated in Figs.2, 3, and 5. This pawl-arm c is arranged in such position that when thedrawer B is thrust inward said drawer or any suit able attachmentthereon may strike against the projection C, and in fully closing thedrawer may rotate the take-up spool-C one notch of the ratchet c, andthus advance the tape C ashort distance upon its support 0. Uponretracting or pulling out the drawer B the spring 0 draws back thepawl-arm c into position to engage the next notch of the ratchet 0, sothat in closingthe drawer a second time the tape will be advanced onestep, as before. The opening and closing of the drawer thereforenecessarily involves the movement of the tape one step, and it will benecessary to make a record of a sale upon the tape for each operation ofthe drawer, or otherwise there will be presented spaces on the tapewhich will indicate the manipulation of the drawer without the recordingof a sale which is to be avoided. Adetent-pawl holding the take-up spoolC may be applied to the ratchet 0, though it is shown in Figs. 2 and 3at 0' applied to a second ratchet c placed on the opposite side or endof the spool C.

Forthe purpose of enablingthe recorder-tape C to be advanced withoutopening the drawer, a push-button I) is provided and arranged to projectthrough the frontef the case A, said IOC push-button being appropriatelyconnected with the pawl-arm or with a separate pawl, as preferred. Asillustrated, D is such a separate pawl pi voted by means of a pin din a5 radial slot in the pawl-arm c and forced into engagement with theratchet by a spring d. The connections between the button D and the pawlwill be such as will give the desired direction of motion to the take-upspool 0'. In the present instance they consist of a lever D pivotedbetween its ends at the front end of the case, as clearly shown in Fig.4, and a connecting-rod d joining the end of the lever D with the pawl.By an inward or I 5 pushing movement of the button D, therefore,

the pawl D will be made to rotate the takeup spool and advance the tapein the required direction over its support 0.

For the purpose of inserting money in the drawer without opening thelatter, the front or top of the case may be provided with an openingsuitable for the purpose, as indicated at E in Fig. 1.

Of course the push-button D may be operated Whether the draweris openedor closed;

but if it be desired to provide for the movement of the recording-tapeonly when the drawer is open it will be preferable to employ as anindependent mechanism for oper- 3o ating the tape a push-btton or devicelocated within the drawer and accessible only when the latter is open.Such a device is indicated at F, the same consisting of a rod whichslides in the bottom of the drawer or else- 3 5 where in the drawerstructure and protrudes at the rear thereof in position to bear againstthe projection O of the pawl-arm 0 as clearly indicated in Figs. 2, 3,and 5. A separate spring f is arranged to retract the slide Findependently, so that normally its headf', outside the rear end of thedrawer, will lie close to the drawer, as if it were a permanentattachment of the latter, when the movement of the drawer itself isemployed to actuate the recording-pawl.

' To operate the slide F, the drawer is nearly closed, leaving room forthe hand to operate the slide F, and said slide is then pushed inwardfar enough to strike the projection C to operate the pawl and take-upspool. If desired, both devices D and F may be employed in the sameapparatus.

As here illustrated, the slide F is arranged at the bottom of the drawerat that side thereof adjacent to the partition (L, andhasa thumb-piece fprojecting upward to near the top of the drawer, where it is easilyaccessible, and the slide is cut off from the general interior of thedrawer by a partition I).

I claim as my invention- 1. A combined cash drawer and recordercomprising a case provided with a tape-carrying mechanism, substantiallyas described, having a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism, and an independentactuating mechanism adapted to operate when the drawer is closed, incombination with a drawer provided with a lock for securing it in thecase, the case being provided with an opening for the insertion of moneywithout opening the drawer, substantially as described.

2. A combined cash drawer and recorder comprising a case provided with atape-carrying mechanism and a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for operatingthe same, in combination with a drawer sliding in said case,

adapted to engage the pawl, and providedwith an independent slidearranged within it and accessible only when the drawer is open forindependently operating the pawl, substantially as described.

3. A combined cash drawer and recorder comprising a case provided with amoneyslit and having a tape-carrying mechanism, a pawl-and-ratchetmechanism for operating the same, and an independent pushing device Dfor operating the pawl-and-ratchet mechanism from the exterior of thecase, in combination with a drawer sliding in the case, adapted toengage the pawl, and havinga looking device, and also a slide F,arranged in the drawer in position to actuate the pawl.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLARD F. BRO\"N.

Witnesses:

M. E. DAYTON, C. CLARENCE PooLE.

